Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Intention
Even in these difficult times, God created us to live abundant and joyful lives.

Scripture

“I came so they might have life and have it to the full.”
—John 10:10

Reflection
Jesus desires us to have life and have it to the full. Can you fathom that the God, the Father, Creator, and the King of our universe, not only gave us life, but desires us to have it in abundance? We are not called to mediocrity. We are called to greatness. Jesus became a man and lived on our earth, suffered a sacrificial death, and rose for us to experience an abundant life.

“Life to the full.” While this phrase may seem like a daunting, exhaustive ideal to live up to and achieve, we are capable of having life to the full every day.

What can this look life for us? Firstly, it means to be grateful for each moment and knowing the worth of each day. The only day guaranteed to us is today. Today is the day to give thanks and make it the greatest it can be. Another way is choosing joy; a joyful life is an abundant life. Joy can be found in the little moments, in our homes, and we can find gratitude in the everyday.

God gave us our precious lives as a gift and wills for us to find enjoyment. To live abundantly is also to love and serve others. Our brothers and sisters make up the Kingdom and we have an important role to play in loving one another.

None of these could be done without Jesus. Jesus is the Gate, the Way, and the Good Shepherd. He longs to guide us to an abundantly joyful life. He came so that we could have life abundantly. He desires to be there with us in every breath, in every moment, and along every step of the way. Our hearts need to be opened in listening to how He desires us to live, and what role He wants us to play. Let’s be united together in prayer and invite Jesus into our days.

Expectations, travel plans, and work and school life may appear differently now. However, now is the time to cultivate new aspirations, new hobbies, and new routines. Rather than focusing on what we cannot do, imagine what could happen if we focused on what we can do. Imagine if we focused on what we are grateful for, as opposed to what we wish we could have.

The current days are none like we could have planned. Yet God created us for this time and place. Now is the time to treat each day like the gift it is. Now is the time to give praise to God. How can you live abundantly today?

Prayer
Lord, we know You desire good things for us. You are a God who gives, for You gave us our lives. You are a God who loves. You did not need to create us, yet You did out of love, and You long for us to find fulfilment. God, we thank You for creating us, for giving us the gift of each day. Father, we know You created us uniquely and good. Show us the unique role You wish for us to play. Open our hearts to discern Your will for us. Be with us during these times. Jesus, You truly are a Good Shepherd. Guide our ways. Be with us today and teach us to live abundantly. Amen.

31 Days Prayer Points
1. Pray for five people and share the Good News of Jesus with them.
2. Pray that God would use His people to reach one billion people this May.
3. Pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, both in Australia and globally.

Ariana Salazar is from Arizona, USA. Throughout her university years she sought to graduate early to allow time to serve as a missionary. This year Ariana is serving as a volunteer missionary with NET Ministries Australia in the Diocese of Wollongong with their youth ministry CYMW.

Register now to receive the daily devotions by email.
Great outreach resources here.

We invite you to join the daily 1-hour Zoom video National Prayer Call every night:
DATES: 1st– 31st May 2020
TIME: 8pm-9pm AEST
ZOOM URL LINK: https://zoom.us/j/776881184
ZOOM MEETING ID: 776881184
Every Sunday night in May, we will have an extended Zoom call from 6pm-9pm AEST.
See Zoom tutorial here.

Daily devotions brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.